Fulham’s fortunes might have been very different had they completed a deal for young Antoine Griezmann.
If there was a Hall of Fame for missed transfers, this would undoubtedly be in it.
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Even at the age of 33, Griezmann is still considered one of the best footballers in Europe.
The Atletico Madrid star remains crucial to his club, especially after his international career with France ended.
Before his first spell with Atleti in 2014, Griezmann attracted interest from several Spanish clubs after impressing at Real Sociedad.
There was also interest from the Premier League in the form of Fulham, who were then managed by Rene Meulensteen.
Fulham were struggling and needed a player in the January transfer window who could launch them into the top flight.
The Cottagers assessed the Frenchman and then approached the Basque outfit for the then 23-year-old star.
Despite the fact that Griezmann lit up LaLiga with a string of great performances, La Real valued their player at a paltry £12 million.
As Griezmann headed for a move to west London, the deal fell through and Fulham turned their attention elsewhere.
The striker then signed for Diego Simeone and Fulham used the £12 million to lure Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou from Olympiacos to Craven Cottage to secure a record deal for the club.
And it’s fair to say that while one transfer turned out to be a complete success, the other was simply unforgettable.
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Unfortunately for Fulham, Mitroglou was unable to live up to his great reputation in his home country, where he won five league titles and three Greek Cups last season and scored 23 goals in 26 games.
Upon his arrival, Meulesteen expressed his excitement about his new signing, saying: “One of the main things we looked at is his goal record,” Meulensteen said.
“It’s been very good over the last four or five seasons.
“He took a beating in the Champions League and has a good variety in finishing, which we talked a lot about with Giorgos Karagounis. Hopefully he will be of good help to us.
“He has been training but we have to be careful. He had an injury and since he comes from the Greek League, which is different to the Premier League, we need to make sure the conditioning people get him up to speed as best as possible.”
But that optimism quickly turned into disaster for the Dutch coach.
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Mitroglou ended up starting just once for Fulham and twice from the bench without ever finding the net.
Ultimately, he failed to do what he was required to do – help the Cottagers survive in the Premier League – before returning to Olympiacos on loan six months after arriving in England.
In stark contrast, Griezmann’s career began at Atletico under Simeone before making his mark for France at Euro 2016, scoring six goals.
He helped France win the World Cup in 2018 before moving to Barcelona the following year after the Catalan club activated his £108m release clause.
His move to the Nou Camp did not go as planned as the player was loaned back to Atletico Madrid before signing a permanent contract until 2026.
After winning back the love of fans, Griezmann became the club’s all-time top goalscorer last season.